After the End
by umbreonix
Summary: Rewritten. Claire, Elite four Champion is bored to tears now that her journey is over, that is until she is invited to her brother Jack's wedding. Once there she must figure out why her family seems mad at her and who are these strange people lurking around town in rubber suits? Coming to Mineral Town will she learn that there is more to life than battling? ClairexGrey
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, My name is Umbreonix (well, not really) and this is an attempt at crossing over pokemon and Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town in a way that made sense. I'll admit there isn't a lot about pokemon in this first chapter but bear with me, I'm getting there.**

**As for the character Claire she looks and is named after the character in Harvest Moon but Is actually based off- backstory wise- the player in Pokemon White. This takes place after she has already defeated the Unova region's elite 4 and is now in a rut since she feels she's "completed the game". Thus the title, "After the End"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest moon or ****Pokemon**

* * *

I yawned and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "Boring, so, so boring" I said to myself in a monotonous voice. Usually I refrained from talking to myself but I had been sitting FOREVER in the large room and I had not heard a human voice in hours. The massive ceiling almost looked and if it were shifting. It was almost dizzying. I wished I could be out exploring like the good old days. When I was younger I had explored every square inch of Unova as well as visited five different regions. I was an experienced mountaineer and spuluker, someone like me certainly didn't belong cooped up in a single room no matter how huge it was!

I glanced around the massive battle field while sitting leisurely in my throne, two legs strewn over the left arm. Gold adorned the entire room. Gold coloured floors and ceilings, with golden embellishments. A bit too bright in my own opinion but if my room were like Grimsly or Shauntel's I would be doomed to fall asleep and sleeping was Caitlin's thing. Still, the room was left the way its original master had decorated it. Iris obviously loved the bright and flashy.

The colossal front doors creaked and then began to slowly open and I quickly straightened myself out. A young man entered the room and stood in the center of the pokeball logo painted on the floor. I looked down at him.

"Welcome challenger, I am Claire, current champion of the elite 4. I commend you for making it this far your courage and trust in your Pokémon is evident." I subtly left out a sigh of relief, I didn't fumble on the words. I had a lot of time, endless time to think about what I would say to challengers but getting caught practicing them would be far too embarrassing. "Now," I started, "Let's have a good match, allow me to see your skills for myself."

"Go Ferialligatr!" I called tossing my pokeball into the air. It flew in a semicircle and landed with a red flash of light. My most trusted partner roared her battle cry.

"Go Zebstrika!" He called and grinned triumphantly at the match up._ If he thinks he has that large an advantage now he obviously isn't going to last long._ Ferialigatr had and quick claw and _that._

"Use earthquake!" I called. The room shook and I firmly planted my feet and steadied myself with one hand on the ground. The man fell over, his Zebstrika K'Od. The battle went on much like that and then was over much too soon sending home a defeated heart-broken boy. I sighed and sat back in the chair, how many more hours of monotony were there before I could call it a day? A challenger was an infrequent thing, it was unlikely another would appear today.

Well, that's what I thought but the door creaked open a second time and my eyes widened. _That was fast. _As it turned out, it wasn't a challenger, it was one of the Guards from the entrance of the league. "Hey…" I wracked my brain, "Jerry!"

He nodded. "Good afternoon ."

"'Sup?" I asked him dropping the formal garbage I used with challengers.

"This letter just came in to you." He said.

My brows raised slightly, letters were a rare thing in this day and age. I hadn't gotten one in forever. Any notifications I got generally came in on my c-gear.

When I took the letter he bowed slightly and hurried off. "Nice chatting with you as always Jerry…" I mumbled under my breath.

I turned the envelope in hand. It was pretty fancy, held shut with a decorative silver heart sticker. Tearing it open without a second thought I read the fancy font, _Jack Goldberg and Mary Henson would like to formally invite you to their wedding_?, and then, disbelievingly, I read it a second time. "MY BROTHER'S GETTING MARRIED?!"

I pulled out my xtransiever and immediately dialed the number on the invite.

"Hullo?" A voice asked on the other side. There was no video feed.

"Jack?" I asked skeptically.

"No this is Doug, from the Mineral Town inn."

"Sorry!" I exclaimed, "Wrong number!" I was about to hangup gut the voice stopped me.

"Wait, wait! This is the right number! Is this for Jack's wedding?" Asked Doug.

"Yes…" I said slowly.

"and who is this?" He asked.

"Claire, his sister." I said. "I wanted to confirm that I will be attending the wedding."

"Great! I'll let him know!" The man said happily and then hung up. I sat staring at the xtransiever in confusion. _Okay then…_

Anyway, I was pretty excited. Anything to get the heck away from this nightmarish prison sapping my youth from me all the while somehow making time stand still_, I love my job. _Plus I hadn't seen my brother since he was just a little guy, I was interested to see how he turned out.

_Now what should I pack?_

**Gray's POV**

I grit my teeth and clenched the book I was reading tightly. She was giggling. I've known Mary for a great many years and never had I ever heard her _giggle_. It was his fault, that farmer, her fiancé. I never used to get this kind of reaction from her, I guess I never had a shot.

I couldn't see what she saw in him, she was witty and intelligent, and he was just a farmer. Mind you I'm just a blacksmith, but that doesn't change the fact that if Mary had chosen me, I could have loved her worlds more than he ever could.

But she hadn't.

He stood up and I sighed in relief, I didn't know how much longer I could stand him being here. I knew the day that I caught him proposing that I had lost, and yet, I still came to the library daily. What was I expecting? That she would magically change her mind and fall madly in love with me? Somewhere deep inside I knew that it would never happen, that coming to the library every day was merely self-inflicted torture.

My eyes widened and I concentrated harder on my book when I noticed that the farmer wasn't leaving but rather walking straight towards me.

"Hey, Grey!" He called.

"Jack" I growled not looking up at his frustratingly bright eyes, the eyes of a man in love.

"Ah come on man, don't be such a grump!" He whined, and then he lowered his voice so Mary couldn't hear, "Listen, I know you loved her, and I know it'll hurt, but you have to go to the wedding, you're her best friend."

I snorted and stood up to leave, the idiot followed me out.

"No, seriously! Listen I like you, if things didn't turn out the way they did we'd probably be friends!"

"That's I frightening thought." I mumbled.

"You can't cling on to this forever, you're going to have to move on!"

"How?!" I yelled wheeling around to face him. He backed up a step in surprise. "How can I move on when I'm the only single guy left? Are you saying I should just resign myself to being alone forever?"

He sighed, "This town is just a puddle, and there are plenty of fish in the sea."

I grunted, "So you're telling me to leave? Gramps would have my head."

He scratched the back of his head. "You might not have to." What was he saying? "My sisters are coming to town for the wedding you know… This may be your last chance!"

I stared at him in disbelief, he wanted me to get with his sister? I clenched my jaw tightly, the only girl I could ever love was Mary. "No thanks," I said, "I don't want anyone with your disgusting blood running through them."

By this time we were at the hotel, my refuge, I stepped in and slammed to door behind me to let the guy know I didn't want him to follow. Ann looked up at me worried.

"What?" I practically snarled. She quickly looked down and began to scrub the bar table vigorously. I headed up the stairs and into my room. Plopping on the bed I sighed. I was a mix of emotions. On one hand I felt pretty bad for yelling at the waitress, but on the other I was practically seeing red, if I went back down to apologize in this state I'd probably of only made things worse. Either way, I was sure she understood. Everyone knew how I felt about Mary except librarian herself.

I stayed in the room for as long as I could stand, but then my stomach growled and I sighed. Luckily the diner was just the floor below. I headed down the stairs and groaned, Jack was there. Of course. I turned around, I could wait.

"Grey! Yohooo!" I turned around to see, Kai waving at me goofily. "Get your butt over here!" I sighed and walked back down, no use getting the roommate mad, we still had the rest of the summer to go. Around the table sat all of the young men of mineral town minus the one lunatic with birds on the brain. He was probably still avoiding Kai.

"Sup," I said taking a chair.

"Jack was just tellin' us 'bout his lovely sister." He grinned, "Jill, was it?" He nudged me in the ribs

"Take some notes man this is important information!"

I grimaced.

"Well," started Jack, "She's awesome! We've been really close ever since childhood, man I miss her I haven't seen her since I came to Mineral town."

"So is she hot?" Asked Kai.

"Dude!" Exclaimed Jack, "That's my sister you're talking about, and anyway, you have Popuri!"

Kai raised his hands defensively, "Whoa, whoa, I know that, she's my world man!" And then he grinned and slung his arm around me, "Just asking since my friend here's too shy to!"

"Kai!" I protested.

He didn't listen to me instead he turned back to Jack. "So what about your other sister? Earlier you said _sisters."_

This time Jack grimaced, an interesting expression on him. "Yeah, she's around our age too… I was really hoping she wouldn't come."

"Whoa man!" Exclaimed Kai. "That's surprisingly cold for you!"

"Well we haven't really kept in contact. I wasn't planning on inviting her but when Mary found out about her she insisted I invite her. You know how she is" he shrugged. _Interesting, even Jack has people he doesn't like._

"Anyway," he started, "her name's Claire, I haven't seen her in a long long time so I can't really say that much about her."

He dropped the topic there as the food came.

"Ah man!" I yelled, "Why didn't you guys tell me you already ordered!"

Clank! CLANK! I hit the metal with all of my force.

"NO, NO, NOO!" screamed the old man, "This is expensive silver me boy, not meat waiting to be pounded!"

As always, he looked at my work through a fine tooth comb, "And what's with this other stuff in it?! Didn't you properly clean the ore!?"

"Shut it old man! I'm doing what I can! Stop criticizing every little thing!"

Just then a bell chimed as the front doors opened.

"Welco-" Grandfather started but stopped mid word. I glanced over, and for once agreed with him, I didn't know what to make of her. The girl was obviously not from around here. She had her brown hair up in a ponytail. Her neckline was a little too low and her shorts barely made it to her thighs. She made Karen look like a nun, obviously a city girl.

"Goodness," she moaned wiggling her hips, _does she need to go to the bathroom?_ She cocked her head to one side causing her ponytail to swing. "Everyone in this town is looking at me funny, is there something on my face?" She asked innocently.

Then her eyes lit up, "you must be Grey!" She fluttered her eyelashes, "Jack's told me so much about you!"

"You must be Claire", I sighed.

For a second her facade was gone, replaced with anger, "What?! No, I'm Jill! Don't compare me to that-THAT…" She regained her composure, "Anyway, I should go find Jack." She stated and stalked out.

I returned to my post and began to reheat the metal, "If that's the good sister," I mumbled, "I really don't want to meet the other"

My grandfather grunted in agreement, apparently Manna the town gossip was in the diner last night so the whole town now knew about Jack's two sisters.

"What does that mean?" Asked a voice.

"Wah!" In my surprise, I dropped the metal and It rubbed against my hand.

"ACCCKKKK!" I bellowed. Searing pain was shooting down my hand.

"Grey!" shouted Grandfather. He quickly ran a cloth under water and guided me to a seat behind the shop.

The voice followed us in, "Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry!"

My grandfather turned on her, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! He was working with fire!"

He was on my side for once? I looked up at the girl and my eyes widened. She had long golden hair and wore a baggy pair of overalls. The most shocking feature were her eyes which shone a brilliant blue.

She was biting her thumb worriedly, "Oh yes, I'm so so sorry! I was just-" she paused and grabbed something from her bag. "Here!" She sad handing me a spray bottle. I looked at it.

"Burn heal? Why the heck are you carrying around something like that? Does this happen often?" I asked sarcastically.

"It's an important tool of the trade." She grinned. What sort of job requires burn heal to be handy at all times? "Oh!" She said, "and if you ever need it I have, paralyze heal, ice heal, antidotes and awakenings!"

I blinked, "Awakenings?"

"Yeah!" She exclaimed, "To wake up sleeping… things"

"No thanks," I muttered, "I have an alarm clock"

"Too bad those don't work in battles," she grinned. "I actually just stocked up on paralyze heals!" She looked at me seriously, "Haven't you noticed that there's an unusual number of Joltik this year? It's almost too dangerous to go outside!" I blinked at her and she obviously picked up on my confusion, "…Or do you not get Joltik in this region?"

I had no idea how to respond to that, the girl was obviously off her rockers. Instead, I began to unravel the wet cloth covering my burn, I gasped a little at how bad it looked, It was red, swollen and was already beginning to blister. _Great._ I immediately sprayed it and expected to feel the burn acosiated with disinfectants. Instead, I felt instant relief. To my shock, it was even beginning to heal before my very eyes.

"Hmm," she pondered, "It doesn't seem to work as well on humans…"

Grandfather rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry fer yellin' missy. It was my idiot grandson's fault fer not concentratin'"

"What?!" I roared, "You were fully on my side a moment ago!"

I turned to her, "This guy's always yelling at me! All he does is criticize my work!"

"That's because you always mess up!" He yelled back.

Rather than become unnerved by our bantering like most people, she grinned, "Its called training."

I stood there dumbstruck for a second and then lowered the rim of my cap over my eyes. "Yeah you're probably right."

"You're so lucky" she sighed.

"What?" We asked simultaneously.

"To have something you have to work so hard for…" She looked at me. "Its just the start of your adventure. I on the other hand am done. Never take the game for granted."

"The game?" I asked.

"It's a metaphor." She said. "If life is like a game, don't rush too fast to the end. If you beat the story mode too fast all that's left is the repetitive after credit stuff."

"Uh, yeah I guess?" I said.

"Anyway!" She said with a sudden urgency, "What's this about the bad sister? Why's everyone in this town being so cold to me?" She asked. "I've gone to enemy bases and been treated nicer!"

"I don't know" I lied, I didn't have the heart to tell the girl her brother hated her.

"Alright." She said, her tone suggested she knew I was lying. I cursed silently. She said quick farewells then ran out the door.

"Jack's sisters," I started, "Are really, really weird."

Gramps nodded in agreement.

**Claire POV**

There was obviously something this town was hiding from me. Without a doubt. For the moment I had decided not to dwell on that. I was still mentally hitting myself. A couple minutes in town and I was already messing up. For one, I had researched what people wear on farms so I could blend in more on vacation but, It seems the overalls and plaid shirt were a little much. I had already received some snarky comments by the girls at the market. No one seemed to want to give me their names, come to think of it, what was the blacksmith boy's name?

Sure he was snarky but at least I got the feeling he was like that with everyone. He could end up being a strong ally. Oh, and that brings me to mistake number 2, the burn. I cringed, What was I thinking? I had noticed my sister go into the store so I snuck in after her. I wanted to surprise her since we hadn't seen each other in years. But she certainly wasn't that cute little nine year old I left at home when I set out on my Pokemon journey.

I couldn't help but laugh at the monologue I gave at the blacksmith's once I was safely alone.

Ever since I became Champion of the Elite 4, I was told I was the region's role model and that I had to become more mature. I had changed my wardrobe from t-shirts and baseball caps to designer trademarks so I could fit the population's mental image. Another little thing I was still working on was the words of wisdom that all champions seem to have.

Did I seriously just compare life to a game? _"It's just the start of your adventure?"_ Ahhhaaa that's it! I wanna die, it's too embarrassing! By then I was just spouting random nonsense.

Nevertheless, the most important thing to do right now, is to clear up misunderstandings! I have to find Jack!

I saw a sign up ahead,

**Sunnydale Farm**

perfect.

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**Oh poor poor Claire, I think someone's neglected to tell you that there's no Pokemon in the Harvest Moon world...**

**Please Reveiw! Give me your thoughts, opinions and ideas!**


	2. Chapter 2

**That's chapter 2! If anyone's even reading this... Please leave comments at least to let me know if this is an utter train wreck of a story or not.**

**Disclaimer:**

**I neither own Pokemon nor Harvest Moon**

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I walked into the farm and could see my brother and sister talking avidly. I smiled, just like old times. Those two had always had a special connection. I had worried that maybe the friendship had withered during adolescence. Obviously Jill was not the freckled nine year old I remembered her to be but what was more surprising was that Jack looked exactly the same. His eyes sparkled and his hands moved animatedly as he spoke.

Grinning, I walked over, "Hey!"

They turned to me and their smiles immediately faded.

"Hey Clare," said Jack quietly.

My smile started to fade as well but I forced it up, "How have you been? It's been so long, look how big you've gotten, though I guess I must look really different too…" I rambled.

Jack put on a very forced smile while Jill continued to glare, _why is it like this? _I wanted to scream.

Jack looked at me and reluctantly spoke, "I was just about to show Jill around the farm, would you like to tag along?" Jill elbowed him angrily. I winced at the exchange,

"Sure!" I said trying to sound enthusiastic although all enthusiasm was sapped shortly after entering the town.

He took us to a well-kept barn, "Here I keep cows and sheep, and over there I keep my horse Delilah." He said gesturing to a smaller shed a little further in the distance. We walked around a large field half filled with crops. The other end was covered in boulders, branches and weeds. "At the moment," He started, "I'm growing corn and cucumbers for the summer season. This farm was in complete disrepair when I first came so it's taking forever to fix up this field on my own."

"You could always use Pokémon!" I suggested, and then remember Jack used to be deathly afraid of the creatures. I guess I couldn't blame him, Pokémon were dangerous.

"There are no Pokémon here." Said Jack.

"I don't understand," I said.

"Pokémon don't exist in this part of the world. No one knows of trainers or coordinators, there are only animals here."

I froze. I may have made a horrible error… No wonder the blacksmiths were staring at me as if I grew another head, I was blathering complete nonsense to them. I twirled my bangs embarrassed, "You could have told me THAT fact sooner."

Jill snickered and we continued on, "Here is the chicken coop," Said Jack, "My prized chicken actually just recently won the chicken competition and now produces the best quality eggs in the country!"

"Amazing!" Clapped Jill.

"Well that's about everything…" He said. He turned to me, "uh Clare, do you have a place to stay? Jill's staying at my house but… I'm not sure there's room for you."

"That's fine," I said. "There's an inn in this town right?"

"Yeah, do you need help finding it?" He asked.

"That's alright I think I'll explore a little." I said.

Nodding my farewells I went down another road at the bottom of his farm. The road turned to dirt and I could see I was in a forest. Deciding to test out what Jack told me I started running back and forth in the tallest grass I could find. Sure enough, no Pokémon popped out.

"What are you doing?" Asked a voice.

Shoot. I turned, "Blacksmith guy!" I said.

"Call me Grey."

"Hey Grey," I started, "I was just… um," what could I possibly say to justify running back and forth in a small patch of grass? "Testing something" I said lamely. He looked at me as if he thought I was insane. I probably looked that way. It was too late to ever appear normal to this guy, "Forget it." I mumbled and stalked off.

I ended up at a large lake with a cave in the centre. I stopped and gazed out over the mirrored surface. The whole day was not going as I planned. I wasn't used to making such a fool of myself. I wished I never came. I almost even wished I was back in my room at the elite four. _ Almost. _I pulled out a ball from my bag. "Go ferialligatr!" After a beam of light my best friend and partner appeared before me.

I collapsed into the alligator-like pokemon's shoulder and breathed into his scaly shoulder. I always found this action surprisingly comforting. Back when he was a little totadile I used to hold him in my arms and place my chin on his head when I was feeling homesick. I don't feel homesick anymore. I barely remember home, I hadn't gone back in eleven years. This was the first time I needed comforting in a long time. Ferialligatr rustled a little in concern. "Everyone hates me" I told him, "The townsfolk and even my own brother and sister! What did I ever do?" I asked.

Ferialligatr looked at me sympathetically and wrapped his tail around me comfortingly. How funny it must look on the outside. A girl cuddling a giant alligator.

We sat in silence for a while and I soon regained my composure. It's not like a champion to break down. I solemnly swore to gain back my sibling's love. We used to be so close. Checking my reflection in the water I made sure my emotions were in control and then returned ferialligatr and headed back into town. Eventually I found the inn. After renting space in a room I noticed it was well past supper. I ordered some food as the inn doubled as a diner. After receiving the steaming bowl of soup I sat at a table and began to eat.

When I finished, I glanced around. What was there to do it this town? Usually I didn't stay in any one place too long so I didn't often have to find a source of entertainment. I saw Grey walk in and I looked away. Surprisingly he walked over and took a chair. "Rough day?"

"You don't know the half of it." I responded.

"Sounds like you could use a drink" he said.

I shook my head, "I don't drink".

"Ignore her Grey," I looked up to see my sister, "She's a trainer, she will forever have the mentality of a ten year old."

He looked confused.

I gritt my teeth, "I don't know, what your problem is with me but your acting like you don't think my job is credible!"

"It's because it's not!" She argued, "All you do is play around, and do pointlessly dangerous stunts! When are you ever going to move on with your life? I bet you've never even had a boyfriend!"

My cheeks turned red, "Wha-What does that have to do with anything?!"

She smiled at me nastily while taking a chair at the table. "Its as I thought." She said, "You better get on it, your not getting any younger."

I scoffed.

"So Grey~" She said turning her attention over to the man. "Tell me more about yourself."

He glanced around uncomfortable before eventually talking about his parents who weren't ready for kids and ditched him with his grandfather. Jill smiled and nodded, occasionally commenting and asking questions. I occasionally tried to comment as well but she'd cut me off. Eventually I stopped trying. Half an hour later I gave up and retreated to my room.

I could tell Jill must really hate me but I couldn't think of why. It hurt to be hated. I had left home pretty suddenly when I was ten to become a pokemon trainer. Back then she idolized me as most little sisters did, even if she was only a year younger.

_"Clare! Clare!" My eyes opened slowly and I saw soft clouds floating way up ahead. Sunlight gently warmed my skin. I jolted up in confusion before remembering that I was in our backyard. It was a beautiful summer day, pidoves were resting on the roof of the small house. _

_I looked around to find the source of the voice that woke me up. She was standing behind me. Her skinny arms and legs were sticking out a white dress a little too big for her, probably one of our mother's old dresses. We didn't really have to money for new clothes since our father left. _

_"Did you fall asleep again?" She lectured. "Your going to get a sunburn if you don't do it in the shade!" _

_I waved her off. "I'm fine!"_

_She grinned and quickly jabbed at my arm. _

_"Ow!" I recoiled back and glance at my arm. I was red with white spot where she poked me._

_"That's what you get for not wearing sunscreen!" She laughed._

_I rubbed my neck embarrassedly. It wasn't cool for a big 9 year-old to get lectured by a babyish 8 year old. I was almost ten for pete's sake!_

_"Where's Jack?" I asked._

_"He's with mom in the house." Said Jill._

_"What a momma's boy!" I laughed though I knew that wasn't the main reason why Jack was inside. He was scared to death of pokemon and on a hot summers day like this, they were everywhere. Once while dad was still around he had taken Jack out for a "guys day out" but somehow lost him. Jack was terrorized the neighbourhood's infamous wild liepard and could not look at pokemon since._

_"Oh yeah!" She said suddenly. "Speaking of mom, she asked us to go to the store and pick up milk!"_

_"Alright." I said getting up from the grass._

_We walked down the narrow pathway from our house in silence until we heard loud noises up ahead. Another pokemon battle. I had seen many battles in my day but never one like this. The town I grew up in was not a big battling town and only seemed to have beginners. These two were clearly not beginners. A man with flaming red hair had called out his haxorous. The other man had a Krokodile. My sister grabbed the hem of my shirt, "Those are scary pokemon!" She wimpered but I hardly heard her. I was absorbed into the battle. _

_I had never really been moved by pokemon battles, but this one was different. This was art, unlike the low level battles I had always seen in town. _

_The man with the red hair won and Jill tugged on my sleeve. "Let's go." She said._

_I hardly heard her. I took a few steps towards the man and he noticed me. "Hello sport!" He said. "Did you like the battle?"_

_I nodded._

_"What's your name?" He asked._

_"Claire." I said._

_"Well Claire, I hope to see you again someday. Come battle me when you become a trainer." He grinned._

_I froze. Me? A trainer? I liked the thought, I wanted to be like him, no I wanted to surpass him, become the very best, like no one ever was._

_I grinned back, "Just you wait!" I told him._

That was where my future diverged from Jack and Jill's. A few months later we moved to the Johto region and I met Totadile. I left home at ten and never looked back. Eventually I made it back to Unova. It turns out the man was Alder, Unova's champion. He had retired by that time though.

Anyway, I couldn't see what I had done to upset my family. We were on great terms before and I didn't understand what I could of done to anger them in my absence.

The next day, I had a quick breakfast at the diner then headed back to the lake. I released my Ferialligtr, the only Pokémon I brought with me to the town aside from an egg I was trying to hatch. After giving my partner her lunch I sat in the grass contentedly. Although living in a world without Pokémon for a long period of time would be unbearable, the was a serene peace. It was safe to be lieing down in the forest. No giant bugs would attack you and you didn't have to be on high alert for challengers. Ferialligatr suddenly popped her head up and dashed into the water. I turned around and saw the strawberry-blond blacksmith.

"You again?" He asked and began to turn around.

"Wait!" I called. He turned around surprised and walked over.

"Did you see anything strange just now?" I asked.

"No." He said. Good, I released a breath, Ferialligatr was fast enough.

"Do you come here very often?" I asked.

"No, I just don't have much better to do." He looked at me angrily, "_Someone_ caused me to burn myself so now I have to take time off until the doctor says I'm fit to work."

"Uh yeah, sorry about that again… and for my behaviour," I wrapped my arms around myself, "I'm just a lot further away from home than I thought."

"It's fine, I guess." He told me. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, "Wanna come with me for a walk? I'm bored to tears."

I froze, I still hadn't returned Ferialligatr and I couldn't leave her alone. "Sorry, I—" A spray of water hit me from the direction of the lake, "Fine, I'll go!" I yelled at where I presumed the Pokémon was hiding. Grey looked incredibly weirded out but to his credit, didn't comment.

"Well what are you waiting for?" I asked him stepping ahead. He glanced back at the lake then followed me.

"You know you're incredibly weird?" He asked me bluntly.

"I must certainly seem so." I responded.


	3. Chapter 3

He lead me through the forest, a canopy of leaves overhead speckled us in dappled sunlight. I glanced up at the blacksmith. Even his neutral expression looked a little like he was scowling. I felt somehow a little awkward looking at him so I turned away. When was the last time I was alone with a boy? Occasionally with Hugh but we never did it for fun, with him it was always about finding purloin. I wasn't accustomed to such an easy pace. The forest was silent, unlike the ones where I come from that are always filled with pokemon cries. It feel unnatural, but it wasn't really a bad thing. "That's the Goddess Spring," he said suddenly and I jumped, I had zoned out. I glanced over. It was amazing, the water sparked and a small waterfall cascaded down.

"Cool name." I commented.

"Yeah, It is believed that the Harvest Goddess lives in there, So they call it the Harvest Goddess Spring."

"Harvest Goddess?" I asked.

"What?" He said in slight surprise, "you've never heard of the Harvest Goddess? How far away do you live?"

"Very far. A place called Unova" I told him.

"Never heard of it" he dismissed. He sat down at the water's edge and looked fixedly at the water. I peeked over as well. The water was surprisingly shallow for the base of a waterfall, I could see several fish darting back and forth through the clear water. I made a mental note that I needed to come back later with Ferialigatr and check what was above the falls. I looked over at Grey and could see he was lost in thought, his brow creased a little.

Giving him time to snap back to reality on his own I glanced around. There was a hot spring (_score!_) and another cave. I walked over to the cave entrance and peered inside. There was no noticeable stairs or ways to wonder further into the cave apart from the small room full of breakable-looking boulders._ If only I had brought a Pokémon that knew rock smash. _

"I see you've found the mines," said Grey. "This is where we get the ores to make tools, though not many people go in there apart from me… and _Jack_" I was surprised at the amount of venom in Grey's voice when he practically spat my brother's name. I decided to ask about that at another time.

"Wow, so you two break those boulders with your own hands?" I asked.

"Well yeah, or with hammers anyway." He replied tilting his hat distractedly.

"Amazing!" I said, "To do those sorts of things on your own without…. Help."

He blushed a little obviously not used to compliments. "Uh, thanks" he said.

I grinned, "You got to teach me some time alright?"

"Sure, I guess." He muttered. "Anyway, lets keep moving."

He turned away but I took another quick glance in and frowned in confusion. Three people in weird outfits were in the corner of the cave. They weren't digging, just looking around. Didn't he say only him and Jack went in there? I shook my head and caught up to Grey.

We returned back to the area of the forest outside Jack's farm. "Hey look!" I exclaimed, "A cabin in the woods!"

"Yeah, that's Gotz's house." Grey said.

"Well come on!" I said.

"Why are we going there?" He asked.

"Because from my personal experience, people that live in the middle of the wilderness are always nice!" I said. It's true, back in Unova there were Pokémon rangers who gave you berries and nice ladies that let strangers rest at their houses.

I burst into the cabin dragging Grey along. "Heeellllooooo!~" I called. A strong looking man with a beard came out, I already like him, beards are awesome.

"Hey, I haven't seen you before." Said the man. "I guess it's been awhile since I've gone into town…"

"I'm Claire, Jack's sister!" I told him.

"Oh, right!" Said the man, "Jack had introduced me to your other sister this morning, Jill was it?"

I nodded.

He frowned, "It's funny he didn't mention having a second sister."

I frowned as well. "Oh, yeah I guess he wouldn't…"

The man panicked noticing that he had upset me, "Oh, uh, I'm so sorry did I say something I shouldn't of? I'm not very good with people anymore… Here, why don't you to say for some coffee?"

"Oh, that's fine." I said, "I don't really drink coffee."

"You don't drink coffee or alcohol?" Asked Grey skeptically, "You really are like a ten year old!"

I puffed out my cheeks. "Alright," Said the man, "How about hot chocolate?"

I grinned, "Sure!" I could see Grey rolling his eyes.

"I'm Gotz by the way," Said the man.

"Nice to meet you!" I smiled.

Half an hour later we were out again. I grinned at Grey, "What did I say? People that live in the woods are ALWAYS nice!"

He snorted, "Someday you're going to be killed by an insane lumberjack, just watch."

This time it was my turn to snort, "They could _try. _But you'd be surprised at how tough I am!"

He chuckled slightly but stopped, his whole body froze.

I followed his line of sight. A family of three was walking up ahead. A cute looking girl with adorably big glasses and a timid expression noticed us and smiled.

She scurried over, "Good Afternoon!" She greeted, _It was afternoon already? _

"Hi!" I said.

She smiled, "Are you Claire?"

"In the flesh." I grinned.

She looked at me thoughtfully, "you aren't all at what I was picturing."

"What were you picturing?" I asked interestedly.

"Well, for someone who ran away from home at age ten… Tattoos maybe?" She said.

"Oh, right. That." I said quietly.

"Anyway," She smiled even brighter, "I'm Mary, you're soon to be sister in law!"

I squealed (Something I hardly ever do) and hugged her.

"That's great!" I exclaimed, "I always knew Jack would end up with a sweetheart!"

At this point Grey snorted and stalked off.

I made a face "Geez, what's his problem?"

She frowned, "I wish I knew. He won't tell me! We used to be best friends…"

I considered going after him but then noticed the setting sun. _Yikes! Feraligatr!_

"Sorry Mary, got to go!" I said zooming past her.

"Bye!" She called after me.

When I got to the lake I was in for a surprise, a green thing was standing at the water's edge and was practically fuming.

"You!" It said to me, "Are you the one who released that _brute _into my home?!"

I stood there in shock,

"A talking Pokemon!"


	4. Chapter 4

The little green creature jumped up and down, "Hey, are you even listening to me? I'm Kappa, the great Kappa, creature of legends, act more impressed!"

I pulled out my pokedex, _"Pokemon not found" _it said. Whoa not only is it a talking Pokemon it's an undiscovered Pokémon to boot! "Feraligatr!" I called and she came flying out of the water to land in front of me.

"Yes," the green thing called, "That's the thing!"

"Use dragon dance!" I called.

Feraligatr complied and the green Pokémon just stood there confused. I felt kinda bad attacking it if it was defenseless It began to rant again very loudly and I realized it must be using uproar. "Feraligatr let's end this! Waterfall." I ordered. She shot a huge amount of water into the air and it cascaded down in a waterfall over the green creature. It lay there twitching, "go pokeball!" I shouted. The ball hit the 'Kappa' but instead of capturing it, it rolled off, leaving a comedic bump or "Goose egg" on its head.

Shoot. I walked up to it. "You really aren't a Pokémon are you?"

"No" it said in a daze.

"Oh no, what can I do to make it up to you?" I asked.

Suddenly it perked up, "Bring me a cucumber- no, ten whole cucumbers!" It commanded.

"Sure! Right away!" I promised and dashed off. I sprinted all the way to the farm to find Jack, I remembered vaguely him saying he was growing cucumbers. "Jack!" I called. No response. I ran to the inn, maybe he was having supper.

He wasn't there either but I did find a particularly moody blacksmith. "Grey!" I called.

"What?" He snapped.

I stepped back a little in surprise. "Have you seen Jack?" He eye twitched at the mention of my brother.

"Try the library." He scowled.

"Thanks!" I called already halfway out the door. After I got the cucumbers I'd have to find out what was wrong with Grey. While I was running I remembered I had my bike. I quickly flipped to my bike and was at the library in no time.

"Jack!" I called. He looked up in surprise. I found him and Mary sitting at a large table in the corner. "Could I buy ten cucumbers off you?"

"Why?" He asked.

"Because I got this green thing super ticked off with me!"

"A green thing?" The two of them asked skeptically.

"Yeah! I found a pokemon in the lake that wasn't a pokemon afterall. It calls itself a kappa?"

"A kappa?" Gasped Mary.

"Yeah," I said.

"There was a legend past down for generations that there was a mythical creature living in the lake but no one's seen it until now. How does it feel to see a legend?"

I grinned inwardly, This wasn't my first legend, I had befriended the mythical zekrom in order to save the world a couple years back and had since been known as the trainer of legends.

"Not bad,' I said.

"Well," sighed Jack, "I guess I can sell some then." I grinned and passed him a few coins and he handed over the vegetables. I didn't ask why he was carrying them around. Instead, I thanked them and dashed out the door while jumping on my bike. "See ya!" I called and road back to the lake.

The Kappa was lightly snoozing with a cartoonish bubble growing and shrinking from his nose. It pooped when I approached and he scurried over. "Do you have cucumbers?" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah, right here." I said and pulled out the purchase out.

He snatched them and began to eat ravenously. He grinned when he finished. "Alright," he said, "I'm not mad anymore! Your friend can come and go whenever they like!" Then before I could respond he had jumped back into the water and swum away.

"See ya I guess?" I muttered and returned Feraligatr to her pokeball. Now to deal with the other problem, Grey.

I headed to the inn but he wasn't there. I took this as an opportunity to better acquaint myself with the town. Besides the inn there was a winery, which didn't really catch my fancy. then there was Mary's library, a house, a hospital and a store. I thought about going into the store but could see my sister chatting to a girl at the register and decided to keep moving. The town opened up to a large square, probably meant for festivals. Then I smelled something that caught my attention, sea breeze.

I smiled, I loved the sea and often visited Caitlin at her summer at her villa in Undella town. I threw off my shoes and let my toes sink into the burning sand. I spotted a familiar hat sitting by the waters edge.

I wobbled over, "Hey Grey!

He turned around, "What do you want?"

"You were acting really weird earlier." I said.

"Coming from you" he scoffed.

"Hey, I'm a foreigner!" I defended.

"That's true," he said, "you don't know since you're new, I might as well tell you since if you don't hear it from me you'll probably hear it from somewhere else…" He looked me in the eyes with a serious intensity I found unnerving. "I love Mary." He said.

My mouth popped open, "bu-Jack and Mary!"

"Yeah," he said, "I know."

We sat there and washed the waves crash against the rocks. A single seagull landed on the beach floor nearby.

"I'm sorry." I said.

"For what?" He asked.

"I don't know a lot about relationships and stuff like that so I can't really tell you anything reassuring."

"How old are you?" he asked.

"21" I said.

He sighed, "you're saying in that entire time you never liked someone who didn't like you back?"

"Well I was always on the go I never stayed in one place long enough to really get to know any guys." I said quietly, "There's Marshal and Grimsley but they're like family."

"Family…" he said, "By the way, what was that about running away from home?"

I looked at the water sheepishly, "I always dreamed of going on an adventure, when I was ten felt I was ready to see the world, my mom didn't."

"And so you went?!" He asked. "That's insane! You were only ten!"

"It's normal where I come from for kids to leave home at that age. I miss my parents, and I thought about my siblings all the time but I never regretted it."

He shook his head in disbelief.

"It's true!" I said, "I've walked through active volcanos, seen legends come true, been in caves where rocks floated in magnetic fields! I've fought with criminal organizations and dived to the bottom of oceans to look for treasure! It's been an amazing life."

"But you're unhappy." He said.

"Why would you think that?" I asked.

"Not sure, I guess its 'cause misery loves company, why else would you seek me out?"

"I guess that true," I said "I'm afraid that my adventuring days may already be over. I have responsibilities now" I hugged my knees. "I used to be able to do anything I wanted, but now I just sit in that big room day in-day out."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"That's my job. To sit and wait for people to challenge me, though few ever make it past Marshal and them. Those that do I make easy work of. For once, just once, I'd like to loose, that way I'll have something to work for."

He shook his head, "sorry, I guess you have a lot on your plate too… you don't have to worry about my problems."

"No, no really its fine. I may have exaggerated a bit. My job has fun parts too..." I stood up and stretched. "You know what you should do if you're depressed?"

"What?" He asked.

"Run!" I grinned.

"Wha-?" He started but I had already grabbed his hat and was making a fast dash for it. He let out a small gasp of shock and then barreled after me. "CLARE! GIVE THAT BACK!"

I grinned and looked back at him sticking out my tongue. Aw shoot he was a lot fast than I expected. I doubled my speed and sprinted up the stairs leading out of the beach. We ran, and ran, and ran. Eventually after circling the town at least once he caught up and thrust his arms around me to restrain my movements. I laughed and to my surprise, so did he.

He had a nice laugh, the kind that feels so hard earned that you feel a sense of accomplishment when you hear it. I grinned, "Wow, you're a lot more fit than I had expected."

"Right back at you." He said beginning to return to his usually moody appearance as he caught his breath.

Just then I felt a nudge in my bag and I froze, I must of taken a lot of steps just then, the egg couldn't be? A small muffled noise seemed to be coming from behind me, without a doubt, the egg was hatching.

"Well, nice chatting with you, but I gotta go!" I yelled and ran off. Again. This exit is starting to get overused.

I ran all the way to the forest and stopped when I was safely covered behind trees. I threw off my bag, (Not literally, there was an egg inside), and pulled out a vibrating egg. A chip cracked off and I could see a small beak. The beak continued it's way around the shell, trying to crack the egg in half from the inside. The top was pushed off and I identified the Pokémon that came out as a Natu. From old habits I pulled out my pokedex and scanned the little bird.

"_Natu, the tiny bird Pokémon, __It picks food from cactus plants, deftly avoiding buds and spines. It seems to skip about to move."_

I put the device away and looked closely at the creature. It's eyes were a little unsettling but for the most part, It was kind of cute. I smiled at it warmly, "Hello there." I said scooping it up into my arms, It didn't make a noise but instead nestled slightly into my chest.

"I have never seen a bird that that."

I turned around fast and the Natu made a small squeak of protest.

"Hey Grey." I said.

"Is it a type of parrot?" He asked.

I nodded my head so enthusiastically I thought it would snap. "Yeah, it's a bird- a parrot!"

He leaned in closer. "It has the creepiest eyes I've ever seen." He commented.

"No kidding." I laughed. The Natu jumped up and down it protest.

"Well," he started suddenly interested in the brim of his cap, "I promised to eat dinner with gramps but, uh, thanks for tryin' to cheer me up."

I smiled at him, "No problem!"

"Have fun with your bird!" He grinned and then left.

I turned my attention back to the Natu. It sat there and stared at me, so I stared back.

…

…

…

…

"What? Is there something on my face?"


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Harvest Moon or Pokemon.**

* * *

Training Natu had provided a welcome distraction from the unwelcoming town. The day after the pokemon hatched I had gone with Ferialligatr to check out what was on top of the waterfall. We found a large clearing perfect for training; somewhere we didn't have to be weary of other people.

It didn't take long to learn that Natu wasn't a natural at fighting but that was fine, I didn't need a fighter here. Teleport was immensely useful and when it evolved, Xatu could learn fly. So I began to try to evolve Natu. It was turning out to be a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Although Natus evolve at a really low level, there were no other Pokémon around so we have to train the old fashion way, drills.

The reason no one trains this way is it takes significantly longer to gain experience, though there was no choice, Ferialigatr was much too strong and I didn't suppose that "Kappa" thing wanted to go for another round.

It had been an intense morning of training where I had the poor bird move rocks side to side consistently with its psychic powers until it looked like it was going to collapse.

"Alright, you can stop here." I told him and the rocks immediately dropped. Natu fell over exhausted without making a sound. I giggled and peered over the waterfall. The innkeeper's daughter and the chicken girl, Ann and Poupuri, were still chatting at the base of the pond.

I sighed at collapsed on the grass, looking at the clouds. It would be way too surprising for them if I suddenly came crashing down the falls on top of a giant alligator-thing. That was a flaw I had found out early on when using my secret training spot, those two girls came by EVERY DAY. Often I would be stuck up here until they finally left for work. Alternatively, if I slept in, I couldn't get to my spot. Eventually, the two girls left and I saw this as my opportunity. I hopped on Feralligatr and rode the falls down.

"Thanks!" I called to my friend and returned her to her poke ball. I checked my pokenav, it wasn't even noon yet.

"What do people in this town do for fun?" I asked myself. Well, It seems like they are always either working, chatting or drinking. Well, I didn't want to work on my vacation, and the other two possibly didn't sound appealing either. Then I remembered, there was one place in this town that was made for recreation.

"I'm going to-" I called triumphantly, "The Library!"

I wasn't really talking to myself you see, I get the feeling that pokemon can hear what's happening outside their pokeballs since they always seem to understand exactly what the situation is when you call on them. So one could say I was talking to them. Maybe.

I burst thought the front doors and grinned, "Hey Mary!" I called.

"Hello, Claire" she replied, peering at me through large glasses.

"Is there any books you recommend?" I asked.

"You read?" She asked delightedly.

"From time to time" I said. It wasn't a lie. Although I rarely picked up books during my travels. My literary elite four buddy, Shauntel, often forced books in my hands telling me that I "simply MUST read them." I never really minded, the time I spend waited for challengers was TEDIOUS. Plus her choice of books was great, Always thrilling adventure novels surrounding pokemon.

Mary glanced through the shelves thoughtfully and her eyes sparkled as she laid eyes on a certain paperback. She pulled it out of its spot and handed it to me. I looked at the cover and grimaced, "A romance novel?"

She smiled brightly, "Oh yes, it's one of my favorites, you simply HAVE to read it!"

Well, how could I turn her down if she put it that way, she sounded exactly like the ghost trainer. Settling myself down at a large table in the corner I opened the book and began to read. Thirty pages in and my cheeks were bright red and I could practically feel my heart beating in my chest. This was definitely not like the adventure books Shauntel recommended.

Someone cleared their throat and I slammed the book shut and leaned over it to hide it. I looked up, Grey was standing there with his usual unimpressed look. "What are you reading that you're so embarrassed about?" He asked.

I shook my head vigorously, "Nothing!"

He sent me a look that told me that he was utterly unconvinced. I sighed and sat up straight revealing my book. He looked at it a second with a confused look, "I've read that before, I still don't get why you're embarrassed. It's pretty light stuff."

I stared at him unbelievingly, "Seriously?" I looked at the cover and back at him, "But the characters were kissing and stuff, Isn't that embarrassing? Don't you feel embarrassed reading about something so private?"

He shrugged.

"Are all romance novels like this?" I asked, I was genuinely curious though he obviously didn't take my answer seriously, he burst out laughing.

"You've really never read a romance novel before?"

I shook my head.

His laugher subsided but he continued to shake his head, "Well, I guess I'll let you get back to that." He said and began to surf the shelves. I just sat there nervously, maybe I'd just wait until he left… or not. After finding his book he sat across from me at the table and began to read.

I sighed and picked the book back up and re-found my page. It was a million times more awkward with someone else nearby as I read. Subconiously, I would make faces or flinch at certain parts and would hear a soft chuckle. I'd shoot the blacksmith a glare and read on defiantly.

The man in the book was strong and introverted, he kind of reminded me of Grey, and the soft spoken girl reminded me of Mary. I began to wonder if someone like me could ever be the protagonist of a romance. Was I too outspoken and masculine? I beat guys in battles on a daily basis. I tried to imagine a man wrapping his arms around me and immediately turned crimson. I slammed the book shut again and Grey looked up in surprise.

"I can't do this!" I said.

He grinned, "Aw come on, you have to learn about this stuff sometime! You're already in your twenties!"

Just then my phone rang, saved by the bell. I pulled out the device and answered "Hello?"

It was Joey, that insane kid I met while he was on vacation with his family and made the mistake of giving my phone number. He had been spamming me since.

However, I was grateful in this one case, he got me out of an awkward situation so I played along.

"You don't say? Top percentile!" I exclaimed while leaving the library, "That is one impressive Rattata!"

Grey's POV

Claire left the room and I leaned back in the chair. I was getting bored, I had already spent hours in the library this morning. I would have never guessed how much I'd miss working while I recovered. It was probably because there was nothing to do in this town if you weren't working. I sighed and decided to follow Claire. Her weirdness amused me. Occasionally I'd look for her in town but she was never anywhere to be found in the mornings.

I stepped outside and heard her still talking on the phone. "Look Joey, it's great to be proud of your Pokémon but please don't call me every day. You've gotten me into lot of trouble in the past… yeah, okay bye." She hung up her weird device and turned to me and jumped back in surprise. "Eeep!" She recollected herself. "Hey Grey I didn't expect you to follow me out."

"Ex-boyfriend?" I teased, knowing full well she had never been in a relationship.

"No!" She blushed profusely. I liked it when she blushed. "He's just some kid who keeps calling me!"

"Whatever you say." I winked and then froze. I didn't usually act this jolly, I had a reputation to protect. I let my face fall to a neutral expression.

"How's your hand?" She asked.

"Good I should be able to start working again tomorrow." I told her.

"That's good." She said.

That night when I returned to my room at the inn a small package was sitting outside my door. I opened it up. Were they… cookies? I read the tag.

_These are called Lava cookies, they're good for burns. Eat them if your hands bug you tomorrow._

_-Clare_

I smiled and shook my head slightly before heading in.


End file.
